Of Scars and Sparks
by LegionN7
Summary: !COVER ART BY theEyZmaster on DeviantArt! SUMMARY: On the Normandy, two unlikely souls realize their feelings for each other.


**A/N: Inspired by thebluninja's The Quarian-Princess Bride. Go read it after this one. And join Aria's Afterlife forum- even if you're a reader, you can still have plenty of fun!**

**DISCLAIMER: No characters or places owned by me. All Bioware/EA.**

There he was again, staring.

Staring at her.

Staring _through _her.

Just... staring.

Those eyes, mismatched from surviving a horrendous injury- one eye a viridian pool, glinting with life behind a veneer of hardened steel. The other, a clouded sea green, unnerving to anyone caught in it's glare.

But when they were directed at her... Her breathing increased, her temperature rose, and deep in her core, muscles twitched, calling for attention.

Just as was happening now.

Keelah, he _always _picked right before a mission, or right before a crew game, or right after reading the latest 'articles' from the crew's stash of _Fleet and Flotitties _holozine.

"Tali, Zaeed; I need you both for this mission. We're shutting down the Hahne-Kedar facility. Expect heavy mech resistance."

That _bosh'tet, _Shepard. Tali had been in love with him once. She thought. But he made it clear: unless she was willing to use her mask's emergency induction port on demand, he would stick with Jack, thank you very much.

Or did he say stick _in _Jack? Oh well, not too important.

When he had reemerged from the dead, she had been cautious about the crew he ran with, and duty to the Fleet had superseded the urge to go geth killing. But when he showed up on Haestrom, with that psycho tatted brat, and... _him, _of course, she had to accept. She was so mesmerized with Zaeed, she barely acknowledged Kal'Reegar- did she accidentally push him into the sunlight? She couldn't remember...- and had been highly embarrassed when her suit audibly stated a fluid overabundance in the pelvic section.

And now, they were in close quarters again, riding the Kodiak, piloted by some nameless Cerberus crewman, sitting in adjacent jumpseats, legs brushing, each contact of armor on suit causing a throb- oh how she longed to feel his weathered skin tenderly exploring her tender skin, circling, pressing, tweaking...

Shepard droned on about tactics and power usage, but Tali hardly listened. The nearness of Zaeed was making it hard to think, She hoped her combat abilities wouldn't be threatened.

As they slowly moved up through the waves of LOKI mechs, Tali kept casting furtive glances in Zaeed's direction. He was so confident, so strong, so _sure._ Each inferno grenade was expertly thrown, each rifle shot was expertly aimed... And his _reloads._ Nimble fingers belying his age ejecting heat sinks and inserting fresh ones when the supply ran out.

Oh to have those fingers loading...

Stop, battle first.

Suddenly a group of LOKI mechs were virtually on top of her. Startled, Tali let out a cry and released Chiktikka, but her beloved drone was quickly shot out of the air.

Then HE intervened.

Shepard was too busy behind cover shooting sporadically (Soldiers are so overrated) to lend assistance, but Zaeed...

"GET DOWN!" He bellowed at the mechs, as a concussive shot leapt from his Mattock and into the chassis of the enemies. They instantly fell apart, neutralized.

Tali looked straight at him and managed to utter out a shaky "Thank you..."

The old merc just smirked lopsidedly, using his rifle to scratch the back of his neck. "Gotta watch out for the goddamn things. Bastards'll eat your shields quicker than Shepard can come into Jack."

Did he really just bring that up?

Nope, doesn't matter, have to run before the facility blows.

On the ride back, Zaeed looked intently at Tali.

"Is your suit ok? You might wanna check for microfragments from the explosion. Last time I had to blow a mech facility, it was me and two elcor..."

Ahh, a story! Tali loved hearing Zaeed's stories. They spoke of a seasoned, dashing, lucky, and heroic merc who may have done a few questionable things. But ultimately, he was _so sexy._

"... I was the only one to make it out alive. Those volus are goddamn sneaky at times."

Tali nodded, sure she had caught every detail.

**Later on in the plotline...**

Tali had been 'stuck' in the elevator with Zaeed, going down to the engine deck. He took advantage of the 'delay' to lean close and whisper... "We both know how this is gonna end, sweetheart. I did the research for you, here's your goddamn herbal supplements to bolster your weak-ass immune system. Engine room in five minutes, its been cleared."

Tali could hardly believe it. Taking the packet, and inserting it into her suit's feed system, she began pacing slightly, waiting for the supplements to take effect. There were only a few hours until the jump through the relay...

Her imagination raced like a drunk NASCAR driver, imagining Zaeed in a suit, rose in teeth, picking her up and gently...

A knock on the bulkhead.

She looked over, and saw that...

Zaeed had run to his room, and gathered the items he had been preparing just for this occasion. He dressed out of his armor and into his finest clothes. He scooped up his items, then sauntered int othe engine room and knocked on the bulkhead.

The way she did a double-take must mean she liked his dungarees and flip-flops. He popped out the cork of the first bottle with his navel.

"Hurry up and get drunk so we can fuck."

Her glancing around and hand wringing must mean she _really _was in to bad boys.

She opened the induction port and drank all the turian brandy in one go.

Zaeed used his cock as a bottle opener for his malt liquor, and he drank that too.

Reaching into his ass pocket, he pulled out a small sphere with a time display.

"Wh-whats that?" Tali asked nervously.

"A goddamn kinky invention of my own!" the merc boasted. "You've got to finish me off in ten minutes or it blows up the room."

"O-okay... that doesn't seem too hard..."

"Oh, its hard as rock, baby. But when Vido shot me, he took out most of my pleasure neurons. So my average time is 11 goddamn minutes." Zaeed leered. "Now lets get you ready, shall we?"

Tali started talking rapidly, "Well, I've done all I can and I read Mordin's pamphlet and I think I know what to do but I can't stop talking and Keelah this is really happening and..."

Zaeed yanked her faceplate off, then stared at her face.

Not since the birthing creche, and the 12 years of freedom in there had anyone gazed upon her face.

"That'll do," Zaeed grunted, then tackled the engineer onto conveniently placed cushions, his chapped and cracked lips assaulting her face, every touch intensified by the _actual, _skin-to-sjin contack. Hi tongue, coarse and plaque-covered, entwined with her own blade-thin tongue, wrestling it into submission. Suddenly the bell-bottomed trousers parted at the underseam to expose a powerful and throbbing 9 inch member, covered in fine hairs half as long as the member itself.

Tali removed every last bit of armor, now fully exposed to the man.

"Nice. I'm going in, now."

With that, and a double-squeeze to her breasts, Zaeed jumped on top, sought a good position, then forcefully entered her passage, slicked with excitement. Mercilessly, he kept up a punishing tempo, putting most all of his length inside at any given thrust. Tali moaned and writhed under the intense breaching, trying to buck in time with the pegs. Her three-fingered hands tugged slightly at the silly hairs around the dangling package; she cupped his testes and gave a good squeeze.

"Auuuugghghhh! What the fuck was that for you goddamn whore?" Zaeed shouted.

"S-s-orry, I thought that..."

"Nevermind. Now suck it!"

He had leapt up, but just then squatted down over her face. Soft lips enveloped his shaft, tasting her own core on it...

"Faster, goddammit! The grenade only has a few minutes left!"

Indignantly, Tali made a vacuum out of her mouth, intending to cause him discomfort... but he only shouted, rocked slightly, then released a thick and salty stream right into her maw.

Choking at the unexpected gift, Tali swallowed some, then coughed up the rest. "Now turn off the bomb, you _bosh'tet!" _

Grinning, Zaeed stood and readjusted himself.

"What bomb? My alarm clock was only running because I have an... _appointment..._ with Jacob and Kasumi in... forty six seconds. Now say goddamn _cheese!" _He snapped a quick omnitool picture, then ran to the elevator.

Laying there in disbelief, Tali couldn't even find the wanting to finish the job. At least she had that copy of VorchTorch somewhere...


End file.
